I-85 North reopens after tractor trailer overturns

Tuesday

Nov 20, 2012 at 7:30 AMNov 20, 2012 at 4:29 PM

BY DENEESHA EDWARDSThe Dispatch

A single-vehicle accident involving a truck carrying hazardous materials that overturned early Tuesday morning shut down all northbound lanes of Interstate 85 for almost three hours.The accident occurred near mile marker 101 shortly after 6:15 a.m. Motorists were detoured to U.S. Highway 64 at Exit 96 to I-85 Business Loop as an alternative route.Traffic started flowing again shortly after 9 a.m. when the right two lanes were opened, said Larry Morgan, emergency management coordinator with Davidson County Emergency Services. He said the area needed to be inspected for safety reasons after the left front tire blew on the Orica USA truck, causing it to roll over and spill hazardous content such as blasting caps.A news release from the company said the truck was carrying equipment and materials from its local facility, and the materials onboard the truck are classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as an oxidizer, which has the same chemical composition as fertilizer. Orica is one of the world’s largest suppliers of explosives, mining chemicals and mining services. The headquarters of the company is in Colorado.The driver of the truck was transported to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. The name and condition of the driver were not available. Orica said that the driver was conscious and communicating with medical staff.The release also said that Orica personnel worked with emergency responders, local authorities and HEPACO — a hazardous material clean-up company — to safely remove the materials from the scene. Less than a month ago another 10-wheeled truck from Orica wrecked a couple miles up from this accident near mile marker 111. That accident caused all lanes of I-85 to be closed as well due to the similar hazardous materials in its cargo. The truck tires rapidly deflated, causing the driver to run off the road, down an embankment and then overturn.Morgan said Tuesday’s accident was cleared at 2:45 p.m., and all lanes were reopened after the wreckage and products had been removed.“The highway is back (to) normal,” he said Tuesday afternoon.

Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com.